Rolls-Royce starts work on new testbed

Rolls-Royce has broken ground on a new 7,500m2 testbed facility, plans for which were announced in June 2017 as part of a wider £150m investment in UK aerospace facilities.

Rolls-Royce has started work on its new testbed facility, plans for which were announced in June 2017 as part of a wider £150m investment in UK aerospace facilities.

The company says that the new testbed, which is expected to be commissioned in 2020, will support its ongoing industrial transformation and will provide important additional capacity as the civil aerospace business continues to ramp up engine production and deliveries.

Capable of testing a range of today’s engines, including the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, the facility will also serve as a base for testing the next-generation UltraFan.

The new testbed, which will be the largest indoor facility of its type in the world, will harness the latest digital technology to set conditions and obtain evidence from a wide variety of test activities, such as water ingestion and endurance testing. It will also benefit from the latest advancements in test equipment including new x-ray capabilities.

The testbed itself will have an internal area of 7,500m2 and will be surrounded by two concrete walls measuring up to 1.7m thick.

The new testbed supports the company's IntelligentEngine vision by bringing together the latest in digital and physical testing technology .